The St. John’s Red Storm claimed another hard-fought win in the Big East on Saturday, defeating the Providence Friars, 79-69, in front of a hostile crowd after a massive fight on the hardwood.
Things became heated in the game’s second half, when Providence’s Duncan Powell committed a hard foul on St. John’s Bryce Hopkins during a layup. That led to Hopkins going at Powell, and, naturally, teammates got involved in the scuffle, which took the spotlight on the hardwood.
Players from the St. John’s bench got involved with Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino, referees, and security, all trying to restore order.
The officials ultimately ejected numerous players for their involvement in the altercation: Providence’s Jaylin Sellers and Powell, as well as the Red Storm’s Dillon Mitchell, Ruben Prey, Sadiku Ibine Ayo, and Kelvin Odih.
After a 19-minute delay in the game, the basketball game resumed. By the time the game ended, there were seven players ejected, including another player who was ejected late in the second half, and questions were looming about potential punishments.
Read more: St. John’s Basketball Fight With Providence Could Bring Suspensions
At his postgame press conference, Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino spoke about his team coming together and putting together a solid effort despite the huge fight that broke out earlier.
“You’re not supposed to come off the bench, but you can’t let your players get beat up,” he said, adding, “You can’t fight. Back when I was the Kentucky coach, we fought almost every SEC game, and it was not a big deal. But you can’t fight anymore, so toughness has to come between the lines.”
“We were really excited to get a W because we came together without a lot of our players, so I’m proud of our guys,” he said, later mentioning that his players “didn’t initiate anything.”
“We talked toughness, not turning the ball over, creating steals, getting offensive rebounds. That’s what we believe toughness is, and that’s all we talked about the entire time,” he said, mentioning that the players were exhausted but pushed through.
The head coach became irritated at one point during the press conference, snapping at a reporter who attempted to ask Big East Player of the Year contender Zuby Ejiofor his perspective on the big altercation.
“We’re not going to address that; let the league address it. If you want to talk basketball, talk basketball. You write what you saw. Don’t ask my players that,” Pitino told the reporter.
Dylan Darling led the Red Storm with 23 points, while Hopkins had nine points and nine rebounds to help St. John’s win after the wild fight.
It’s believed that at the very least, Providence’s Duncan Powell will receive a one-game suspension for his rough foul on Hopkins and involvement in the brawl. The fight footage shows Powell trying to strike a Providence player with his forearm and elbow, but the player ducked the attempted hit.
It’s unclear whether any other players besides Powell will receive punishments for their roles in the altercation. Pitino ended his press conference by joking, “Get me [Big East Commissioner] Val Ackerman on the phone.”
As it stands, the latest ESPN bracket projections show Pitino’s team as a No. 5 seed in the East Region of the NCAA Tournament. The Red Storm have a four-day break before their next game, as they’ll face the Marquette Golden Eagles on Wednesday, Feb. 18, in an away game.
Read more: Dan Hurley’s UConn Men Drop in AP Top 25 Poll Amid Win Streak
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